Dancing Unicorn - Snap Lens Studio Filter

Wanting to get more practice in on 3D modeling, I decided I wanted to take a 2D drawing and convert it to a model.

I hand drew the unicorn, scanned it into Adobe Illustrator to turn it into a vector drawing and then colored it. I then loaded that into Adobe Photoshop and applied some 3D effects. I brought that version into Blender as a reference photo, and used various shaped to make the body and applied materials to color the model. I then started with a cube for the head and sculpted that using the sculpture mode. I added eyes and eyelashes...and finally added a mane, hair, tail, and horn. Animated in Adobe Mixamo.

Unicorn Dancing Snap Filter: The Making Of

Wanting to get more practice in on 3D modeling, I decided I wanted to take a 2D drawing and convert it to a model. I tried all sorts of cheats around scanning my 2D image using some automated software and AI programs, but in the end landed on modeling it myself (better practice anyway). I thought a bunch of the mistakes were pretty humorous...such as trying to get the mane and tail to look like the 2D version -- but in 3D it interfered with the arms, so I needed to make sure none of my meshes interacted. More practice needed, for sure, but pretty happy with the final turnout.

I hand drew the unicorn, scanned it into Adobe Illustrator to turn it into a vector drawing and then colored it. I then loaded that into Adobe Photoshop and applied some 3D effects. I brought that version into Blender as a reference photo, and used various shaped to make the body and applied materials to color the model. I then started with a cube for the head and sculpted that using the sculpture mode. I added eyes and eyelashes...and finally added a mane, hair, tail, and horn. I did the animation in Adobe Mixamo.

Video was made in Adobe Premier, using some elements of Adobe Photoshop. The music came from https://www.bensound.com/.

Kathleen's AR Card Trailer

I have an AR Card Workflow & Demo - Uncut Version, that has my entire wokflow on how I created my AR Card - but that is 25 minutes long! I wanted something quick and fun that could give people a flavor for what I had created. I got it in my head that I wanted an epic movie-trailer type video...and this is what I dreamed up!! I had tons of fun filming with my twin, Kdubs, and Kathleen Kathleen directed behind the scenes, per usual. Having my cards come to life has really been a dream come true!

I created this video in Adobe Premier, Adobe After Effects, and Adobe Photoshop. I used my zoom for sound and played around more with lighting. As you will see, I still have a lot to learn in these areas. The music came from https://www.bensound.com/.

Shero Lens - Snap Lens Studio Filter

I will be interviewed by the Shero project on the topic of Innovation Hacking in things like Virtual Reality -- and thought it would be fun to take their logo and make a snap lens to use on zoom. After all, what is hacking without a bit of fun?

I created the cape using blender -- added cloth material, wind effects to get the animation right. Then loaded that into Snap's Lense Studio and tricked it into thinking it was an image...followed by adding the mask to the eyes and a blue hair effect. Video edited in Adobe Premier.

Kathleen's VR Arcade

This is a placeholder video with just the screen capture from my headset of the finished VR prototype. I built everything in this scene except for the jukebox and arcade models, thought I did modify the material on the jukebox to add some songs and I built a simple joystick for the arcade. I made my own shader graph for the sky and reused the material for the table that holds the objects. It was a lot of fun playing around with particle systems and physics materials. I also never did anything with lighting before and it took me a good week and a half to get the look of this arcade right. It is a place I want to hang out - and I love the 80s retro feel and the glass ceiling to see the sky.

I built the game using the Unity game engine, Blender, Adobe Photoshop, and Visual Studio (C#). I ran it on an Oculus Quest 2.

Kathleen's AR Card Workflow & Demo - Uncut Version

I view myself as a creative ninja and I have a series of cards that represent me. I’m a Game Changer, Strategist, Disruptor, and Playmaker. I have handed these cards out at conferences, events, to friends, and just random people I have met while travelling the world. I thought it would be really cool to take these cards and make them come to life -- imagine if you not only got a piece of cardboard, but you got a hologram version of me to tell you a bit more about who I am?

This is a complete end to end video descripting my workflow using Unity, Visual Studio (C#), Blender, Adobe Photoshop + Premier + Mixamo as well as other tools. Video edited in Adobe premier.

VR Game Demo

This was the final project for my XR (AR/VR) bootcamp. I was the Project Manager and worked on User Experience, Game Design, Coder, Integration, animation, particle systems, Unity SME, and Voice Actor. I led a team of 4 other designers who referred to me as the "team magician" as I knew how to code it all together. We were given a task to work with an industry partner and solve two issues for their asymmetrical co-op game (one VR player and a platform player).

Problem 1: Playing Assymetrical Games can be a challenging experience. Digital Precept asked XR Terra Students to help MEND the problem. How can a player using a VR headset communicate with a traditional platform player in a more meaningful and clear way?
Problem 2: Sometimes, we all need a break. How should the game address users being able to pause the game?

I'll be putting up a more in depth walk through of the end to end process, but this is the finished prototype. I had the most fun taking some of the designs and animations from my teammates and getting them to work properly on the right trigger, combining particle systems, etc. I really enjoyed the treasure chest -- we turned user frustration of communication into a game...giving them tools that were disguised as puzzles to help communicate better. Spawning the random objects and being able to build an inventory system was a great accomplishment of this two week project.

I built the game using the Unity game engine, Blender, Adobe Photoshop, and Visual Studio (C#). I ran it on an Oculus Quest 2. Video edited in Adobe Premier.

DNA Snatchers

For my XR Design bootcamp, the first project was to create a Google Tour and accompanying Snapchat Lens. I was going to make an interactive tour around the world, thinking perhaps I could do this instead of the travel videos I usually make. This way, friends can see places as I see them, as well as interact with the scene. However, Tour Creator was a very limiting interface because I could not hide anything. I wanted users to discover things. Instead, I got creative and instead of using snapchat for a filter...I used it to scan QR codes and keep track of how many times you found me hiding in the scene. And...as often does...my imagination went wild and I ended up creating a whole game around evil DNA snatchers looking to steal your brains and take over the world with AI. As one does.

I built the game using Snap Lens Studio and Tour Creator by Google VR. I recorded my screen and phone, and then edited it all together using Adobe Premier. For a bit more detail into my workflow and what I learned, check out my Google Slides on this project.

Lens Studio

I created this lens to accompany my game: DNA Snatchers. In this filter, the user gets to be a sleuth that will accompany Kathleen Squared around the world destroying the Kathleen Cubed Clones -- saving the OG Kathleen, taking down Virtual Virtual Reality (VVR) Organization and saving the world!

To help spot the OG Kathleen amongst the imposters, you are given larger eyes and a great all-knowing third eye. You have a trusty magnifying glass and, of course, a sleuth hat. DNA is floating around in the background to symbolize the VVRs DNA snatching!

Filter created using Snap’s Lens Studio.

2020: A Claymation Christmas

This is not a game per se, but I did PLAY around to create this stop motion. Whether it is a gaming engine, VR, film editing, war gaming, or stop motion -- all of these things are similar to me. They are tools in my toolkit to build immersive experiences. I used polymer clay, my hands, and a toothpick. For the film, I took 24 frames per second using my Cannon Rebel. I edited in Adobe Premier.

Growing up I loved Will Vinton's Claymation Christmas special (a stop motion MASTERPIECE). A few years ago, I taught myself stop motion with Lego bricks to be used to advertise an article I wrote with my work on Business Architecture and war games, but recently I have been wanting to figure out how to make my own models...and mess around with clay and actually animate a face...frame by frame. Crazy? Maybe. Someday I may see about using 3D Modelling, but I wanted to make something in the tradition of Will Vinton. So, stuck at home in the great year of 2020 -- I spent my Christmas building a Claymation tree, and figuring out how to move its mouth to say Merry Christmas!

Using Spark AR to reimagine humans in 2040 through an Instagram Filter

Anyone who knows me knows I love a good fascinator and/or hat. So, in an imaginative exploration on what 2040 may look like I choose to build vines into a fascinator, instead of growing directly out of my head. Besides, this isn't 3040. I hope the human race adapts by then to have fascinators growing directly out of us. :-P

The year is 2040. 80% of vegetation has been destroyed, due to fires. Humans are using AR + VR technology to monitor and adapt to the world around them. The material of our clothes can modify itself to help regulate our core body temperature and wearable plants help convert the Carbon Dioxide to oxygen so that humans can walk around oxygen-mask free. The headwear can even act as an emergency oxygen pump. Check out my original sketch of this concept to see what I was thinking with AR glasses and more.

To help bring the concept to life, I used Spark AR to create an instagram filter which would allow people a lens into the future I see. Only facial recognition is available at this time, so it is limiting in that I could not showcase anything on the clothing or wearable flowers. I did get to create a little animation with the leaves on the front of the pot. At first I was thinking they could be growing directly out of out skin (see round 1 in video), and be like microbes helping protect us from smog, viruses and other irritants. I still like that concept better, but it looked better on the filter to move it to the pot (round 2).

Germ Game

An article I worked on during the first few weeks of being quarantined during COVID-19. I have been thinking about how gaming could help save humanity -- and I kept describing to everyone that we are living in a real-life war game. A friend shared a Ted talk by Bill Gates and that summed up a lot of what I had been thinking...and so I started to build on it. It kicked my mind into hyper-drive and I wrote up a response, and within 2 days I had a basic outline of a game.

What I like about gaming is it can help people to conceptually think about the future instead of tactically for today. It allows us to imagine what a future might be, and test our moves before living it in real life. We know we can’t predict the future. There will always be wildcards, but if we embrace human’s love for play and work together, we can architect a system to boost both readiness and compassion.

JavaScript/PHP/MySQL Memory Game

Play VBMemory!
It was my turn to host my team's online Happy Hour during COVID-19. At the previous sessions, we had been playing some online games...but the team did not feel that they were competitive enough. Requirements started flying around, such as:

1. There should be a timer
2. People should be ranked
3. There needed to be prizes
4. AND Nicole wanted a pony.

Not finding a game that suited my needs to play with a team over a zoom Happy Hour, I decided to brush off my Javascript/PHP/SQL skills...and build the game myself. Since we are part of the "VBM" team, I called the game "VBMemory".

I found a memory game that I used as a starting point by Marina-Ferreira. I had to make a whole bunch of modifications as it did not work on a phone, but overall it had the basic functions I was looking for. I then added in a timer and the ability to track moves. At first, I was planning on just saving those score components to a basic text file and reading the values onto a page -- but then I thought...why not use a database and come up with a Leader Board? So, I created a mySQL database for the game and used PHP to generate the page. To add prizes, I decided to add dynamically-built certificates for each player. Players 1-3 are printed with their first, second, or third place position. And if your name is Nicole? You guessed it...you get a pony on your ceritifcate!